The Deep Crimson Hue
by Oldak Quill
Summary: Voldemort rises again, new becomes old. A new era of terror is begun.
1. New Year

Chapter I - New Year  
  
The moon shone blue through the old leaded stained glass window. Upon the wall, the reflection showed two silent knights in constant battle. They were in a wooded area, with rotting leaves and trees among their feet, the trees still alive rose out of the picture. One had a slice out of his arm and blood smeared across his face, the other was standing high over the first wielding a giant and intricately patterned sword. The men looked cold, swinging the swords and remaining in constant eye contact, one of the knights moved his lips, nothing could be heard. Above the two figures, upon the glass were the words 'Sir Donwald of Kent and Earl Arthur of the Moore's' in arched calligraphic letters. Below the men was simply the number 1002. Harry assumed this to be the date that the scene had happened in, or perhaps when the window was made, he wasn't sure. He knew however that the window must be very old, due to the imperfection of the glass and the amount of dust it had gathered. He got up from his bed, his back was stiff and he could hardly move his right leg. He limped across the cold wooden floor towards a large open window opposite his bed and stared out upon the lake and the large lawn. The lake seemed black due to the moonlight. The swirling water made him think of blood, due to some Acers on the opposite bank, being reflected upon the water. He knew that they were Acers because he remembered Aunt Petunia telling him how to prune them a few autumns ago. He remembered the shape of the leaves and the dazzling reds that it gave out. His mind slowly wandered as he reminisced of hot summer days in the garden at Number 4 Privet Drive, he had grown quite fond of them, they were an escape from the Dursley's, he had always enjoyed nature. He peered out upon the blackened trees of the forest, he saw a shaking light within Hagrids hut which he assumed to be a fire. He grew sad as he remembered the good times of his life, those times were gone.  
  
He missed Ron and Hermione who had been admitted to hospital due to poisoning from some plants within the green houses. They were still in coma like states, although they did move their fingers in replies to your questions. Movement of the index finger would imply yes, movement of the little finger would imply no. Movement of the thumb a maybe and of the ring finger meaning 'I don't understand, ask again'. He referred to them as movements but they were more like slight twitching. He ached with loneliness, he had no where to turn with his problems, no one to consult. He had many other friends, but none with which he felt he had a bond with like Ron and Hermione. They had been in the hospital wing for just over a week now, Harry almost incessantly visited them. No one seemed to mind though, everyone was shocked by what had happened, it wasn't yet established the circumstances in which the accidents happened, let alone how such dangerous and outlawed materials had got into school grounds. Some had drawn up ideas that Ron and Hermione were purposefully put into this state.  
  
Harry guessed it to have passed midnight by now and whispered, in a monotonous voice to no one 'Happy New Year'. He looked upon the blackness of everything before him and a tear dropped from his eye, hitting the windowsill. His chest felt incredibly tight and his throat felt uncomfortably swollen.  
  
'Happy New Year, Harry,' a deep growling voice muttered from the door way. Harry turned around and saw a cloak swooping round as the person walked down the stairs. Harry ran to the doorway and ran down the stairs until he reached the common room. There appeared to be no one there. The torches lit up as he saw four figures standing in the corner of the room. They were Hagrid, Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Harry couldn't see who the fourth was yet, he noticed the large athletic figure and realised who it was as the person lowered the hood. 'Sirius' Harry said as he walked over to the four in the corner.  
  
''Arry' Hagrid said in a gleeful voice, 'We know yer not feelin' to good at the moment, with Ron and Hermione and all. So follow us.'  
  
Harry was lead through the darkened castle. He noticed how everything looked so blue in the night here. He wandered with the four adults down stairs each of their footsteps echoing down the corridors ahead. He looked up and noticed all the adults were smiling. They continued to walk through the castle. Before them, reaching high into the main hall was the large wooden doors leading outside. Dumbledore opened them, with a large creak and the five of them filed through. They walked down the cold dark steps, crossed the lawn and arrived at Hagrid's hut. Hagrid swung open the doors and turned round 'Happy New Year, Harry'. Inside there lay a feast of chocolate and sweets upon Hagrids table.  
  
'Thank you' Harry muttered to the four adults surrounding him.  
  
'Your welcome' they all said in unison.  
  
Five of them tucked into what was there. There was every magical choclate and sweet one could think of. Harry talked to everyone for many hours. They talked of everything from serious events like Ron and Hermione and the rise of Voldemort to more light hearted joke exchange, which Dumbledore seemed to very much enjoy. For the first time in a while Harry felt truly happy. Sirius and Harry talked for a good long time. He had asked fatherly questions such as 'Hows school?', Harry felt a closeness to him now more than ever.  
  
'We better get to bed now' said Dumbledore as he peered out of the window.  
  
Everyone wished each other a Happy New Year and they left, leaving Hagrid and saying goodbye. The sky was a brilliant shade of purple with dashes of red and pink. Harry was taken back by this sight, he noticed how magnificent the light made the castle look. The grass was bouncy and wet due to the dew. From behind them there was an almighty scream of terror emitted from Professor McGonagall's mouth. 


	2. The Cadaver

The Cadaver  
  
There upon the ground, doubled back, lay the body of a young girl. Her expression gave a disturbing relaxed awe as blood dripped from her severed limbs. Her back was twisted so that her head touched the base of her spine. The purple of the sky gave the blood a lucrative feeling. Harry's stomach jerked as he realised what he saw before him. He had never seen such a horrific death before, in fact this was the only the second corpse he had ever laid eyes upon. He could smell the metallic scent that the blood gave of in the air. Each side of her mouth had been slit back to the bone. Her tongue hang limp from out of the right slit in her mouth. Each limb was at a different corner, the digit end pointing outwards.  
  
'North, south, east and west' muttered Dumbledore in a droning voice 'He is saying that he is everywhere, all around us'  
  
'Who. Who are you. talking about?' stammered Harry.  
  
'Voldemort, of course' Dumbledore said in a other worldly voice. He peered up. As Harry looked up he saw a huge symbol smudged across the sky with the most macabre of brushes. It was a skull with a snake entwined. The blacks and greens of this mark made a shocking and disturbing contrast with the colours of the rising sun.  
  
'We must get to the castle' Sirius almost shouted 'he has proved he is now stronger than his fear of you.'  
  
Harry remained staring at the almost peaceful remains of a life once was. The reds of the cadaver burned into his mind, and more physically, into the scar upon his head. He felt a searing pain as if a knife was being trailed across the scar.  
  
Harry felt a grip upon his arm as Sirius ripped him from the spot he stood at and dragged him back to the castle. Dumbledore waited before closing and locking the door.  
  
The coldness of the stone building hit Harry as if he had run into a wall. His eyes ached as he looked into the greys and browns that surrounded him. He felt as state of confusion within his mind, and felt a numbness as his mind wandered back to the poor girl upon the grass, she must have been first year Harry thought. A banging sounded upon the door.  
  
'It's me 'Agrid, come quick I found.' Dumbledore quickly unlocked and swung the giant wooden door open. Hagrid was flustered inwards by the voices sounding behind Dumbledore. Again the door was slammed shut and bolted. Harry felt a great sadness within him, the same sadness he had felt for Cedric just months before.  
  
'Good Hagrid you brought your dog' said Dumbledore 'No one will leave this castle until I deem it safe. Hagrid I want you to go around the castle and extensively block every exit, besides the windows. I will get Professor Flitwick to put a reinforcement charm upon the glass of each window. There are certain exits I want manned by special guards I will have to bring in with permission from the Ministry.'  
  
Harry knew the exits that Dumbledore spoke of to be the ones he had used to get to the house in Hogsmeade. Dumbledore would probably use them to get supplies for the castle.  
  
'In the morning, I will announce to the school the new rules I have placed. Anyone who steps out of this building could easily get killed by he-who- must-not-be-named' said Dumbledore more calmly than before 'I will send an owl to the ministry with information on what has happened and to clear the body, so it can be respectfully buried for the family in a funeral.'  
  
'Sirius you will have to stay in the castle, for the protection of yourself and you will be of the most help to all of us, especially comforting Harry. I hope this is okay with you'  
  
'Yes' said Sirius in a distant voice.  
  
'You will stay in a Mr. Ronald Weasleys bed, as he is in the hospital wing. That is next to Harry. You will mainly stay within the Gryffindor tower, but Harry's invisibility cloak will be there to move further around the castle. I will inform Gryffindor of your whereabouts and make sure that they tell no one of other houses, not even teachers.'  
  
Harry felt the uncomfortable silence like a red hot poker. His scar still ached from outside, the visions of the carcass would not leave him. The scarlet and crimson shades would not leave him. He felt safe in the presence of the four adults surrounding him, both because of their power, both magically and physically, and of his closeness to him. He liked the idea of staying within the castle, he felt safe there. Sirius gave a small smile at Harry, but Harry's face remained to hang, colourless. Harry looked down and he noticed his hands red, initially he thought it was blood, then he remembered he had not touched any blood and it was just because of the coldness. His eyes watered due to the coldness of the air.  
  
He didn't remember much of what happened following these thoughts, but found himself in his bed. He tossed and turned eventually he fell back to sleep. 


End file.
